Saturday, May 15, 2010

How things change...

Well, Mr. B and I have decided to do a little redecorating on the old home. I went through the House Party archives and discovered some fun photos of the place in transition. I hope you enjoy the tour.

This is a view of the living room before we moved in. The former occupants have moved out a lot of their stuff and were just finishing up.


Here is a view of the dining room from the "catwalk" upstairs.


Another view of the living room.

What follows are before and after photos of the House Party Lounge. The first photo in the series will be from October 2005 and the second (from the same angle) were taken in May of 2010. Let me know what you think of the changes...


This is the House Party Lounge after we moved in. Simple, not grand. Just a comfortable room. I will say, however, that if you are considering buying a sofa that is microfiber because it cleans up so easily I would stay away from light colors anyway. Also I have decided that loose-back cushions on sofas and chairs are a pain in the neck. You are constantly fluffing, plumping and rearranging the damn things all the time.


The House Party Lounge with new furniture, rugs, a few new tchotchkes and the same color scheme.


A view towards the dining area


Same view (with terrible lighting) a couple of French fauteuils, and a different armoire.


And again...


Thanks for taking a moment to view the results. Commentary is invited. Dishy , Queeny remarks will result in embarrassing photos of the "disher" being posted on this blog. You can comment by clicking on the word "comments" below this post.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Just finished watching BBC's "House of Cards" Trilogy

I have just finished watching a series from BBC called "House of Cards" which also includes "To Play the King" and "Final Cut". It is a masterpiece of political intrigue starring Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart, initially Chief Whip of the Conservative Party and Diane Fletcher as his wife (in the mold of Lady Macbeth) Elizabeth. The three series (12 1-hour episodes on DVD) takes us through Francis' Machiavellian maneuvering to become and hold onto the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain.

I cannot recommend this more highly. If you have an account with Netflix you can watch it through their streaming service on your computer or TV. Do it! You won't be disappointed.




Pope Palpatine calls same-sex marriage "Dangerous... Insidious"

What is more insidious or dangerous? Two consenting adults who want to enshrine their love in law? Or a Catholic Church full of priests who molest children? Hmmm...
Pope Benedict would like you to believe the former.

From Towleroad.com:

"Addressing a huge crowd at the shrine of Fatima at the climax of his four day visit to Portugal, the 83-year-old Pope said that same sex marriage and abortion were among the 'most insidious and dangerous challenges that today confront the common good.' He expressed his 'profound appreciation' for anti-abortion campaigners, who he praised for defending the right to life and the 'recovery of people wounded by the drama of abortion'."



Tomato Jam

Hi everyone!

I am looking for a tried and true Tomato Jam recipe. I have garnered a few from the Internet, notably one from Martha Stewart (she has a recipe for everything I think) and one from the New York Times writer Mark Bittman, which is seen at left. Now Martha's seems more of a "ketchupy" version while Bittman's seems more like a spicy version. I would like to make some jam this summer as I am working my Topsy-Turvy Tomato Planters again this year. I would like to try a recipe from someone that has made it before and has a great recipe. If I don't get any recipes from this plea I will make some based on the two recipes and post the results for you. I am having "the girls" over for Memorial Day and will make some to serve with the ribs, hot dogs and burgers being served. They can be my guinea pigs.

I'll let you know the results. In the meantime your recipes will be appreciated. You can post the recipe by pasting (or typing) it into the comments for this post. Simply click on the word "comments" at the bottom of the post.

Thanks for your help!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Service Members Show Support For Repeal of DADT



Soldiers in Iraq show support for gays in the military with a silly sexy routine set to Ke$ha. From the clip description: "Created by Codey Wilson and his elite step team of volunteers. Don't give us a hard time for this, please? We're just a few good men trying to enjoy ourselves and get this deployment over with. No one is gay... that we know of. Not that there is anything wrong with that!"

Andy Towle opines: "Popped collars, go-go dancing atop heavy equipment, nudity, lip-dubbing in the showers. These are all things to be extremely concerned about if gays are allowed to serve openly in the military! Though it appears the straight guys have beat them to it."





Aren't they scamps?

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Jenny Craig Diet Results, Week 6

I have been a very bad boy. This week I have not been paying attention to my diet at all. While I have not gone CRAZY... I have made some unfortunate choices this week.


When you go on the Jenny Craig plan they give you lots of stuff to eat at various times of the day to keep your metabolism going. You eat more often and still lose weight. However as I was starting a new job and leaving an old one my schedule was a little off so I wasn't paying as much attention as I could have done.


Then there was the going out to eat issue...


On Saturday I had an urge for those damned boneless buffalo wings at Chapin's in Dennis that I had last week. I was so focused on them that I had to have them again so Mr. B took me there on Saturday evening for an order. I had 4 cocktail shrimp as an entree so there wasn't any fat in them, but still the wings are loaded with fat and sugar.


Then of course Sunday was Mother's Day and we were with the family to take Mom-in-Law out for a brunch to a little Irish restaurant in Mansfield. I had an omelet with corned beef, cabbage, carrots and swiss cheese, home fries, dry toast and some Irish "rasher" bacon. Fortunately the bacon is quite lean and easily cleaned of any remaining fat. Needless to say, breakfast was yummy.


When we got home from that I figured that the camel's nose was already under the tent so I told Mr. B that I wanted a pizza for supper. Pepperoni, mushroom and real cheese (instead of that fat-free stuff I use on my own pizza). Aw man... what a treat! But I knew it would skew my results on Monday.


I went to see Kim and Jenny's and I had put on 0.8 pounds last week. She said that my results were skewed as I was coming in the late afternoon rather than the morning as I used to do, thereby having two meals before weighing in. Also at the beginning of this project she had told me not to go out to eat the day before I weigh in as restaurants use more salt/sodium than is in the Jenny stuff and that would make me build up water weight. So all things considered 0.8 pounds was not too bad.


Anyway I got on my WiiFit machine today and I had lost 3.3 pounds since yesterday so I am back in the ballpark.


That's it for today's JC update. See you next week!